Roads and Railway Flooded in South

Sun (Auckland), Volume III, Issue 718, 18 July 1929, Page 1

Roads and Railway Flooded in South

ALL TRAFFIC BLOCKED SIX MOTOR-CARS LOST

Press Association DUNEDIN, Today. Although the rainfall in Dunedin was not more than one and a-half inches for the past three days, it has been much heavier inland, and, with the snow melting, the Taieri River overran the plain yesterday, so that today both road and rail traffic south of Mosgiel is completely interrupted. At Allanton this morning there was three feet of water over the rails, while at Otokia a washout affects two chains of rails. The midnight express from Christchurch was unable to get 'past Dunedin, and this morning’s Invercargill-Christchurch express is held up at Milton. Passengers are unable to complete the journey even by road. The Outram branch line is also flooded, with no likelihood of a service for several days. At Bushy, on the North Road, floods have closed the road, but the railways are unaffected. Rain has ceased in Dunedin. A report from Geraldine states that the Waihi River, now in flood, undermined a garage on one hank, precipitating six cars into the water. Five are believed to be totally lost. A house nearby had to be evacuated by a man, his wife and family during the night.

POWER LINES FAIL

CHRISTCHURCH, Today. With continuous heavy rain, Canterbury rivers are rising rapidly. For a time this morning all power was cut off from Lake Coleridge owing to snow near the Acheron River, where the worst possible conditions prevail. Later, one of the three lines was repaired and that is still carrying the load.